Saving his son’s sight drove Optos founder, Douglas Anderson to innovate. Here’s his story.

At just five years old, Douglas Anderson’s son suffered from a spontaneous retinal detachment, and surgical intervention could not save his eye. Many years of examinations and surgeries later, a doctor told Douglas that his son’s other eye should be fine but he had to trust this diagnosis on the basis of a glimpse. The ophthalmology industry was complacent – there had been no innovation in over 50 years.

Instead of trusting that glimpse, Douglas used his background in medical technology to try and get a better look himself. His goal was to create a device that could be used for a five-year-old who would enjoy the experience, and thus Optos was born. It wasn’t an easy start. He was turned down by every single venture capitalist in the UK, North America and Europe at least once, except Amadeus Capital Partners.

Watch Ross Butler’s interview with Douglas Anderson and CEO Anne Glover to find out more, as they discuss the success story of Optos and how it revolutionised ophthalmological technology to overcome a problem that has affected millions.